Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Brewsmith:

3.94/5 rDev +6.2%look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a 22 oz bottle purchased locally. Aroma is yeasty and perfumey, a little spice. Color is an amber orange with very little of a white head. Floaties from bottle conditioning. Taste is fruity, apples, pears and a little tropical fruit, with a little bit of spice and some alcohol present. Sweet but not candy-like. Full body, medium carbonation, and leaves a little linger of malt on the tongue.

More User Reviews:

Appearance - This is a bright, brilliant orange in color with just the slightest tinge of brown. The white head came up modestly on an easy pour. The contrast between the two colors of the head and the body is striking.

Smell - The rich, complex Tripel smells are in abundance here. This has west coast written all over it. The classic Belgian spicing is super-sized and the hops trounce the malt base. The yeast though comes out nicely. It isn't the smoothest nose on a Tripel I've ever whiffed but it's damn good.

Taste - The bitter orange peel starts things off with a kick in the butt. They could have named this beer "Ka-pow". The big west coast hops plus the gianormous white pepper and coriander give this quite a kick. The yeast comes out to play as well. This is a big, heavy-hitting Belgian that is light on the sugars and thick on the kick.

Mouthfeel - This has a solid medium-body with some noticeable carbonation. The carbs don't hold a candle to a classic Belgian Tripel and I'd have to say that this is the beer's weak point.

Drinkability - This is a well-done effort at the style that will probably disappoint the purists. If one is at all familiar though with the Lagunitas style of doing things it will be a welcome un-surprise.

First this stuff is a bargain at the $4.19/22 oz. bomber I paid for it, somewhere in Michigan a few weeks ago. Pours clear orangy amber, under a loose medium tan head/tiny bubble film and pretty typical lace. ruity nose, tropical, melon, bananas. On the sweet side, with lots more fresh fruits, light peppery spice, and some Belgian type yeast notes. Lighter bready malt notes. Easy drinking, refreshing, and flavorful. Packs a punch with its well hidden over 8%. I like it. Respectable American take on a favorite Belgian style.

Pours orange with a medium white head. Yeasty aroma with bubblegum and orange peel. Thought this was a Belgian Strong, given the sugary-sweet malt and fruit flavors. Decent hops in there. No real yeast esters, clove, bubblegum, etc. in taste. Decent, not great.

This one has been sitting my fridge for a while. I figured it was time. Poured for a 22oz bomber into a 20oz pint glass. Firm pour yields one finger of off white head rocky head. Pours a dark golden amber. Head has nice staying power, beer looks highly carbonated. Moderate lace.

A good Belgian-style trippel, with strong apple tastes and equally strong bitter, sour spices. The alcohol isn't as well-masked as I would like, leaving a wood-grain aftertaste that lingers for quite a while. Somewhere deep beneath lies a runnel of roasted grains, but you might have to search a while to find it. But at 8.2%, I somehow doubt you'll care.

Appears a deep honey golden hue with a nice sized white head, fine even lacing surrounds the chalice with each sip. Samm specks of yeast are suspended in the bright white foam. Aroma has tropcial fruit esters a nice bready pale malt backing with sweet honey drizzled on buttered toast., spicy yeast note arise with some banana/clove spiciness. Flavor is a bit one dimensional sugar coated spices weigh heavy in the first few sips, with a mix of honey glazed over ripened tropical fruits including banan/pineapple/and a touch of mango. Alcohol burns in the back end but doesn't ruin the experience for me. Mouthfee is medium bodied with a way different carbonation than your average Belgian tripel makes this a bit cloying with residual sugars I realy haven't had many well attenuated American brewed triples. Again warming alcohol and spice balance out the sweetness of the malts and belgian candi sugar. Drinkability was solid not the best or most dead on version of the style, but I felt the creativity and flavors especially those tropical fruits made this a worth while experience.

Pours clear and orangish in color with minimal head that leaves not a trace of lacing as it quickly depletes. The nose is nice and yeasty, almost like fresh baked sweet rolls with a goodly amount of spice. Notes of crisp fruit (think pears and/or apples) waft in and out. With regards to taste, the Belgian yeast is certainly doing its thing. Very bready and spicy offset by a fair amount of sweetness with notes of apples. The 8.2% abv is barely detectable in the finish. Mouthfeel is sticky and warming, medium bodied. Overall, I think it is a steal at $3.99. That said, there certainly better tripels out there.

Pours a clear orange color with a half-finger white head. The head recedes quickly into a wispy layer of bubbles on top and a thin ring around the glass. Not a whole lot of lacing.

Smells like a trippel. Lots of light fruits and bubblegum, joined by a somewhat heavy sweet malt aroma.

Tastes similar to how it smells. The flavors aren't as bold as I would've guessed, but the light fruits are definitely the highlight. Again, there's a heavy sweet malt backbone near the end of the sip that seems out of place. Every now and then it even has a taste of tart fruits. Odd, but not altogether unpleasant.

Mouthfeel is good. It's not quite as carbonated as other trippels I've had, but I also think it's a bit thicker than the norm. Goes down smoothly.

Drinkability is good. The ABV isn't apparent, and if it weren't for that off-flavor it would be very easy to drink, however as it stands now it's just easy.

Overall this is a bargain for only $3.99. It's not the best trippel ever, but it's certainly above average. Worth a shot.

Crystal clear beer but i didn't swirl and pour and I got the first pour from the 22oz bottle. The beer is the color of lightly fired terracotta with a cap of eggshell white. Minimal sticky lacing but there is some present.

Smell is nice and spicy with a good twinge of Belgian yeast. Mixed in the nose is some light summery fruits, apricots, white grapes and apples. Not half bad.

The flavor has a candied sweetness that is the dominate player here. Escorting the candy taste is a mix of just before ripe melon, sweet apples and a touch of grain alcohol. Slightly spiced with a peppery goodness.

A touch on the syrupy side for my taste. The beer has a fuller body then I would expect for this style and ends up being to sweet. I do like the peppery feel and aftertaste that hides the 8.2% perfectly. Well worth trying but not one that will make my favorites list.

Color is rusty orange, evenly cloudy, with a small tightly formed orange tinted-cream colored head. Though not much head overall, the 1/8" of retention has a good dense oily appearance. Aroma is appropriately Belgian but pretty basic at the same time. Nothing offensive...good basic aromas. The taste matches well though this could have more depth. Nice mild carbonation, smooth mouthfeel, and easy to consume. Overall not bad.

Pours a clear golden/yellow/orange with a Giant white foamy head. The head is huge and leaves great lacing. The smell is very pungent with cloves,banana,wheat,and lemon. The taste is crisp with lemon,banana,wheat,cloves,and alcohol. Nice taste.The m/f is light for a high octane brew,but all the flavors mix well. I damn good beer and my only complaint is that it's abit thin. Other than that, drink up and raise a glass to Frank's memory. Cheers.

Pours from a 22oz bottle into the sam adams glass. It has an unusually dark color for a tripel, almost orange, like an IPA. very good clarity but there are some floaties in the bottom of the bottle. not as much head as most tripels and it goes quickly with little lacing.

Aroma is familiar for someone who enjoys tripel like myself. it's a little stronger and the alcohol comes across more forward than it should.

Flavor is also typical tripel but stronger all around. the spice, yeast, and alcohol all seem just a bit heavy.

drinkable, yes, especially because the carbonation and alcohol aren't as strong as the belgian counterparts.

mouthfeel is good in that it isn't so high in carbonation, which I like, but in keeping with the style, it should probably have more.

overall it's well-rounded and what I would expect from an american brewer making a belgian ale. that is, appropriate flavors but turned up loud.

Appearance: Huge billowing head that settles very very slowly, leaving shapely ring after ring of lacing. Looking like a Belgian and not a domestic. And darker than many examples of the style I've seen with a nice copper edge to the yellow body and surging carbonation.

Smell: Complex enough to fool me into thinking this was a Belgian, I believe, had someone told me that. And it has characteristics of other styles too, though that doesn't make it some hodgepodge domestic Tripel, which I've had way too many of over the years. Huge presence of candi sugar and yeast, along with tons of complex fruit from the yeast and malt flavors, with banana dominating, along with some sourness from pear, strawberries, and cherries. Heady and even more complex as it warms.

Taste: Lots of fruit and mild phenolic earthiness at first, backed by some hop sourness and mild bitterness. Hints of banana, candi sugar, sour fruit, and yeast with the long finish. Lots of complexity as it continues to warm, and every sip seems to bring something new.

Mouthfeel: Medium to heavier-bodied, but it's not really cloying as much as warrantedly full, if that's a phrase I can use. With such complex flavors, the body's big, and I was surpised it was 8.2% instead of being more around the 9 or 10% range. Not because of the alcohol -- which is felt, but again, warranted -- but because of the complexity of everything going on.

Drinkability: One to sip and savor over a long while, and probably one of my favorite Lagunitas brews. I think Frank would approve, and this series continues to be ballsy and worth every penny, especially since you can usually find a bomber of most Lagunitas brews from under $5, which for me is a complete steal. They continue to be one of my favorite breweries, and for brews like this, and what they will continue to do in the future.

Big thanks for msubulldog25 for hooking me up with this. Gotta love these Zappa-inspired Lagunitas beers and the cool labels.

Pours a burnt golden/copper, good clarity, with a thin head that morphs to a skim in mere seconds. Looks fine really, just not the kind of fine that can make my mouth water.

Aroma focuses mostly on the fruity aspects--pear, peach, apple--with only a pinch of spiciness and hardly any alcohol. That's good, as many tripels overwhelm the nose with cloying booziness. This doesn't, and even drags along a peanut butter smell in the background.

As with the nose, the flavor favors the fruit, a humble nuttiness, and just a little pepper spiciness. Alcohol stays well in check, which is appreciated, while a little bit of nutty yeast adds a little complexity, especially noticeable with slight warming. Alcohol peeks out just enough to let you know it's there, which adds to the flavor of any tripel, and here it thankfully does not detract.

Luscious in texture, being incredibly rounded and smooth, while also having a polite carbonation punch. The most likable, impressive aspect this beer.

More assertive yeast would've been nice, and maybe a little more spiciness to match up with the dominant fruitiness. Overall a very good example of the style. It's a tripel you really can't go wrong with, but one that won't have Belgium's masters of the style in any jealous rages either.

A: light vibrant golden yellows with deeper bronze with a few shades of red. A good chunk of yellow-tinged fluff on top with fat lacing. Has a ring at the very top with lines of trickling lace sliding down

S: Belgian yeast and candied malts with a few pieces of bubblegum. Has some good whiffs

T: has the usual suspects on the palate of bubblegum, spiced bananas and oranges, a few dried herbal cloves, with some tart apple slices. Spices are in the forefront of the mix and the bubblegum is at the back. Overall good flavors for a Belgian and in some regards you can tell that it has been Americanized

M: a good dosage of carbonation (a bit of bite), lighter body, and nice down the hatch feel. Not overly alcoholic and spiced

D: an even mannered beer. Nothing over the top and nothing much missing. A good take on a Belgian brew by Lagunitas

Pours a clear ambery orange, totally clear with a nice stark white head that retains very well and leaves pretty good lacing.

Nose is very odd. Super malty with some earthy sweetness, some slight belgian yeast and a sharp rock candy sugar.

Kind of odd tasting as well. Alot of sweetness in here for the style. Belgians yeast makes its presence known, very grassy and earthy sweetness, but in a rotten kind of way. This one is very wierd. There is some spice character as well, but it just deosn't fit well. Something about this one is too unbalanced. The finish is good and dry, but akward feel and sweetness remain on the aftertaste.

Drinkability would be pretty good if it wasn't for the akward sweetness. A wierd kind of soupy thing.

Overall I am far from impressed with this tripel. Very sweet, and just strange. The flavors they chose to give in this one just don't blend well, and I can't see myself buying this again. Not a drainpour, but just blah.

On the orange side of gold, flecked with small suspended yeast particles, topped with a modest ashy gray-white cap that shortly diminishes to baldness. Pale, bready malt nose with honey, mushy overripe pear and apple notes, and a considerable yeastiness via sandstone, peppercones, and allspice. Hops bring touches of leafy- almost spearmint- herbal notes. Alcohol is in play as well.It begins with a soup cracker dryness that is quickly enveloped by a sweet malt persona of candy sugar, pineapple, pear, golden apple, and kiwi. The middle finds yeast adding notes of wet river rocks, allspice, vanilla, and clove. Hops hit with more bitterness than actual flavor impact, though it has some herbal, dried floral notes. Alcohol further adds to the bitter dryness. I like a Tripel that cleans up after itself, as this absolutely does, but the booze is perhaps a bit too in-focus, even if it is not explicitly hot. Regardless, I'd take this any day over a lot of syrup-heavy American-versions of a Tripels. And like many a US version, the CO2 is neglected. It's not stagnant, but I'd like to see more charge and life. In spite of it, and in spite of the noted alcohol content, there is a balance that makes this quite drinkable. This is a good effort, especially compared to the majority of it's Stateside peers. Factor in the price (approx. $3.50 or so per bomber) and this becomes very attractive.

Loved the album but was not as amoured with the beer. It looked good, a medium yellow with a bit of white head. The aroma had yeast, malts, and hop. The taste was rather not getting it. Now I did not know in advance it was a tripel, but it was not a great example of the style and not so tasty nor drinkable with lunch.

Pours a golden stream but picks up more of an orange, almost copper color in the glass. It has a crimson tint to it as well. Full white frothy head. Better than average retention. Some minor lacing. Crystal clear... very fine bubbles can be seen steadily making their way upwards.

In the mouth it's medium to medium-full in body, and mildly zesty with a very fine bubbled carbonation.

The flavor is rich, sweetish with notes of vanilla and yellow cake), floral and fruity... somewhat balanced by spiciness, at least partly by the chalkiness of the yeast, and otherwise by a firm bitterness. It comes on strong, softens a bit across the middle, reveals some underlying grassy/herbal hops, and then leaves you with lingering notes of honey, spice (clove and pepper), mineral, and flowers.

Overall, quite a nice brew. Enjoyable for sure, and surprisingly drinkable - although the alcohol will sting you!!!

taste: as always, lagunitas slips a fair amount of west-coast hops through the style barrier but the story on this one remains the yeast, spice and fruit. White pepper and corriander carry the heavy spice load and sweet apricot, lemon, banana and other fruit mix nicely. This beer has a cake-like sugary sweetness and its worth a shot in the tripel-departure category

A- Poured into an Ommegang chalice. There are many small yeast particles floating around that can be seen when held up to the light. Pours a dark golden orange color with a small off-white head that quickly turns into a sporadic ring of lace around the glass.

S- The aroma is fruity malt (apples, pears, citrus) with hints of spices and yeast as well.

T- The aroma follows the lead of the aroma, with some apples and pears along with some spice and some esters in the finish.

M- The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is not a bad tripel. It is a nice Belgian-style beer with some West-coast characteristics. Definitely worth a shot.

Appearance: It pours a light rust color and is very clear. The head's off white in color and dissipates pretty quickly. Carbonation is really buzzing. A light sticky coat of lace stuck to the glass.

Smell: It lacks some muscle here. There are some sweet, fruity notes up front. Smells mostly like banana, lemon, and peach. There's also a yeasty scent, but it's not quite as prominent as it is in its authentic Belgian colleagues. It is a little spicy smelling. Clove's about the only one I can identify, but they're in there. No alcohol is noted.

Taste: It is sweet and fruity initially. Banana, lemon, peach, and even a little apple are present. The spiciness is really the strongest (and best) aspect of this beer. There's some clove, corriander, and pepper lurking about. It is sweet and a little sugary. There's a prominent floral element to it. It is a little yeasty, but again, it's really not that strong. Alcohol is lightly noteable and has a slight warming effect. Finish is sweet and tastes like candied sugar.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: It's light bodied to a fault. It feels too thin. It's relatively smooth. Carbonation is pretty well done. But, it's just too thin. Drinkability is pretty good, but not great. It goes down pretty easy, but I'm not pining for another bottle.

Lagunitas did a pretty good job with this, but it's less than spectacular. The nose is too weak and it's too thin. If those two weaknesses could be tweaked, it'd be improved. All in all, it's more than decent as it is. Definitely worth checking out.